Chapter 214: Arms Trade

The war between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire has begun, which is also good news for Spain.

Once the war broke out, the armies committed to the battlefield by both sides approached one million, and this figure would only become more exaggerated in the future.

The daily consumption of ammunition and supplies by these million troops is a massive number, which is also the business opportunity Spain has been waiting for so bitterly.

More importantly, neither the Russian Empire nor the Ottoman Empire possesses the ability to be self-sufficient during the war.

Before the war, the Ottoman Empire experienced a famine, and Russia also had problems with reduced grain production. In this war, Spain can not only sell its own weapons, equipment, and ammunition supplies, but also sell some medical resources and food; in short, it is a chance to make a huge profit.

Because Spain has no relationship with either warring party, it can conduct trade cooperation with both sides without any burden.

In May 1877, Gao Da summoned the Russian ambassador to Spain and proposed the sale of weapons, equipment, and other important supplies to Russia.

For Russia, there is no overly serious shortage of supplies at this moment. However, the consumption on the front line is very huge, and Russia's current supply reserves cannot last long.

More importantly, the Ottoman Empire has the help of the United Kingdom and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Russia does not have the help of any great power.

At this time, Spain's initiative to propose resource trade can help Russia avoid the problem of facing supply shortages in the future.

It was precisely with this thought in mind that the Russian ambassador did not immediately reject Gao Da's proposal, but only indicated that he needed to contact the Russian government before having a detailed conversation about the trade between the two countries.

Gao Da naturally had no objections. In any case, it is the Russians who are participating in this war, and it is also the Russians who will be anxious about the lack of resources in the future.

Within a few days, the Russian ambassador brought a reply from Russia, expressing willingness to trade with Spain and purchase Spanish weapons, equipment, bullets, artillery shells, and other strategic resources.

After detailed negotiations between the Royal Military Factory and the Russian side, a purchase plan for a batch of weapons and equipment was finally determined.

Russia ordered 100, 00 rifles, 350 artillery pieces, 25 million bullets, and 100, 00 artillery shells, stating that this was only the first batch of orders and that the scale of the second batch would be decided in the future based on the consumption of the war.

The Russian side also specifically requested that by June 15, the Royal Military Factory should transport one-third of the weapons and equipment in the order to Russia, and complete the delivery of the entire order by August 15.

Because the Royal Military Factory had produced a large batch of weapons and equipment long before the outbreak of this war, it naturally nodded and agreed to the Russians' request.

However, the Royal Military Factory also had its own conditions. This batch of weapons and equipment could be produced on an expedited basis for the Russian side, but on the condition that Russia could only pay for this order with gold reserves, mineral resources, or population.

Currently, Spain has close trade relations with France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy, so it naturally does not need Russian rubles.

Although the value of various countries' currencies is pegged to gold and silver, the price of currency from different places naturally varies in different locations.

For example, the official currency, the peseta, issued by the Spanish Currency Issuance Committee, has a relatively stable value within Spain, but it would certainly not be as valuable abroad.

Because the Russian side was unwilling to pay for this order solely with gold, the Royal Military Factory also added other requirements, such as mineral resources and population.

The value of mineral resources goes without saying; Russia possesses extremely rich mineral resources, and a small expenditure is like a drop in the bucket for Russia.

As for the requirement regarding population, it was considered due to the difficulties Spain faces in developing its colonies.

Whether it is the Spanish mainland or its colonies, they can all be described as vast and sparsely populated.

Especially the newly established Congo territory; although it possesses vast land, the vast majority of the people within the Congo territory are local indigenous people, and there are only a pitiful few hundred Spaniards.

To carry out preliminary development of this land, at least tens of thousands of people must be immigrated. If all immigration were to be carried out from the Spanish mainland, it would have a relatively serious impact on the development of the Spanish mainland.

After all, Spain's population is less than 20 million, and compared to the five traditional great powers, the disadvantage in population is too great.

The Russian population of this era has one advantage: because they have long been under the oppression of serfdom, Russian peasants have developed a submissive character.

Moreover, compared to the World War I era, there are fewer radical and extreme insurgents at this time, which is very suitable for Gao Da's rule.

The disadvantage is that the Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in the hearts of Russian peasants, and wanting to turn these Russians into Spaniards is definitely fraught with difficulties.

For Spain, it can absorb a portion of the Russian population, but not too many.

In any case, Gao Da's goal is only to have these Russians develop the African colonies, and incidentally dilute the proportion of locals in the Catalonia and Basque regions.

This transaction meets the needs of both Spain and Russia, so after signing the cooperation agreement, both sides were wearing smiles.

The Russian side obtained the weapons and equipment it lacked, while Spain obtained a certain amount of gold reserves and some relatively obedient Russian peasant population.

Although this population is provided by Russia, Spain will also conduct screening. Those Russians who engage in anti-government movements or possess some relatively dangerous ideas will be strictly excluded from the immigrant Russian population.

It is better to let these people stay in Russia to plague the Tsarist government; Spain does not need these anarchists and radicals to cause trouble.

Compared to Russia, Spain still holds some attraction for these Russian peasants. Although Russia's reforms abolished slavery, these serfs simply changed the way they continued to be exploited by the Russian nobility and landlords.

Although Alexander II gave these serfs the status of free citizens, these serfs did not have any land or property.

With no land, how are these serfs who have just transformed into free citizens supposed to survive?

They can only rely on loans from the nobility and other banking institutions to buy that obviously overpriced land, or be forced to rent farmland from the noble masters with rents as high as mountains, continuing their serf life in another way.

It is precisely because these Russian peasants have been subjected to extremely cruel oppression and exploitation at home that Gao Da has the confidence to increase Spain's population by introducing a portion of Russian peasants.

Of course, no matter how submissive these Russian people are, Spain's capacity to accommodate the Russian population is ultimately limited.

Considering Spain's current population scale, there is an upper limit to the plan to introduce the Russian population. The current limit is 500, 00, which will change with the growth of Spain's total population.

But what is certain is that unless Spain's population exceeds 30 million, the Russian population introduced by Spain will not exceed 1 million.

Moreover, these introduced Russian populations will be dispersed to various parts of Spain, not giving them a chance to unite.

Divided among Spain's dozen or so regions and several colonies, the Russian population will not cause any impact.

After all, such a population introduction plan is implemented step by step, and the number of Russian people obtained each year is at most only a few tens of thousands.

A few tens of thousands of people are easy to handle; it will neither cause a burden to the Spanish government nor effectively promote the growth of Spain's population.

Currently, Spain's population is showing a very obvious increase in a relatively peaceful and stable environment.

During the reign of Queen Isabella, Spain's population was almost stagnant, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing, and the population scale had never grown steadily.

After Queen Isabella stepped down, Spain's population growth began to enter a faster level.

In the entire year of 1869, Spain's net population growth exceeded 140, 00, which was also the year with the fastest population growth in the 1860s.

Entering the 1870s, Spain's population growth was like getting on a train, getting rid of the slow speed of walking on foot.

As of now, Spain's population has officially exceeded 18. 6 million, while the population eight years ago was only 16. 1 million.

A net population growth of over 2 million in eight years is a rate of population growth that can already rival some of the more populous great powers.

Although the great powers have the influence of immigration, the population scale is there after all. Spain's population growth being able to rival these great powers can also prove the positive impact that Spain's stability during this period has brought to Spain.

According to this rate of population growth, Spain has hope of increasing its total population to over 20 million within five years and to over 25 million before the arrival of the new century.

This is only under conservative estimates. If one also counts immigration, the increase in life expectancy, and the development of medical technology, perhaps before the arrival of the new century, or in the first few years of the new century, Spain's total population has hope of increasing to around 30 million.

Considering the population introduction plans Spain is carrying out in the Philippines, Morocco, and Lanfang, a population of 30 million is hopeful to be reached.

If a population scale of 30 million can be reached in the first few years of the new century, for Spain, it will also have more confidence in the future World War I.

In June 1877, the firearms, bullets, and artillery shells produced by the Royal Military Factory were transported to Russian ports by sea.

Because the United Kingdom has already blockaded the Constantinople Strait, there are only two ways for Spain to transport these weapons and equipment to Russia: one is through the English Channel and the North Sea, transporting the weapons and equipment to Russian ports on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.

The other is to transport them to the Russian Far East, and then transfer them to the front line through land transportation.

For Russia, the only acceptable transportation method is to ship them to the Baltic coast.

If they were shipped to the Far East, the time for sea and land transportation would be impossible to determine, and it would take at least several months for the front-line troops to receive this batch of equipment.

If they unload at the Baltic coast, Russia's railway facilities in Eastern Europe are still quite good. Although not as crisscrossed and convenient as the railways of Germany and France, it is at least a complete railway transportation system.

The first transportation method can ensure that the Russian front-line troops receive this batch of weapons and equipment within a month, which is acceptable to Russia.

In fact, from this point, one can also see the reason why Russia wants to continuously expand in the Balkan Peninsula.

Constantinople is in the hands of the Ottoman Empire, directly cutting off Russia's connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Any country that wants to support Russia can only transport supplies through the more northern Baltic Sea.

And the Baltic Sea is far from the main Balkan battlefield; compared to transporting supplies directly through the Constantinople Strait, the wasted time could even change the situation on the battlefield.

Fortunately, Russia had made careful preparations before launching the war, so at least there is no shortage of weapons and equipment in the short term.

This must also be credited to the changes brought to Russia by the reforms of Alexander II. During the last Russo-Turkish War, which was the Crimean War, Russia's industrial foundation was extremely poor, and the war ultimately had only one outcome: failure.

In this war, Russia has already established a certain industrial foundation through reforms, which is an extremely significant change for Russia.

Although Alexander II's reforms were not thorough, they were at least a reform facing the entire Russia, and they have a very important positive effect on Russia.

It can even be said that the reason Russia could maintain its status as one of the five traditional European great powers after the Crimean War is, firstly, its vast territory and population that leads the European powers, and secondly, the improvement in Russia's industry brought about by Alexander II's reforms.

Russia's industry can only be said to be at the bottom among the five traditional European great powers, but compared to other minor powers and countries that are not great powers, Russia's industry is of course still very powerful.

Having finalized the arms trade with Russia, the Spanish government turned around and contacted the Ottoman Empire.

Although the Ottoman Empire has experienced famine and financial collapse, who told them to have the support of the British?

As everyone knows, the United Kingdom is definitely one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. The support of the British is an extremely important blood transfusion for the Ottoman Empire, and it also allows this decaying empire to keep a breath of life.

But in any case, at this time on the battlefield, the Ottoman Empire is always lacking advanced weapons, equipment, and ammunition supplies.

Spain happens to have these two things, which is also the reason why Spain approached the Ottoman Empire.

Moreover, in addition to the scarce weapons and equipment, the Ottoman Empire also lacks food, which is also something Spain does not lack at present.

Compared to the negotiations with the Russians, the negotiations with the Ottoman Empire were obviously smoother. The main reason for this is that the Ottoman Empire's industrial foundation is even weaker, and the weapons, equipment, and ammunition consumed in the war almost all come from the aid of the United Kingdom and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Since it is aid, it must be limited. The guns and ammunition supplies stored within the Ottoman Empire are becoming less and less, which also caused the empire's top leadership to fall into panic.

The Spanish government's proactive contact at this moment is like seeing hope for persistence for the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire can be said to be lacking everything, but at present, the two things it lacks most are weapons and equipment, and food.

Before the outbreak of this war, the Ottoman Empire experienced a relatively serious famine. This famine not only led to chaos in the Ottoman Empire but also led to a large number of refugees starving to death.

Being able to organize nearly 400, 00 troops in the war, the British aid is definitely a great contribution. Most of the weapons and equipment of these soldiers came from British aid, and a small amount was secretly transported by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

From this aspect, one can also see the intensity of the British aid to the Ottoman Empire; it can be considered as helping the Ottoman Empire with all their might.

In addition to weapons and equipment, the British also provided food and some financial support to the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire has already fallen into a financial crisis during the famine; if there were no financial support, the Ottoman Empire would have gone bankrupt before the war ended.

What Gao Da is eyeing is precisely this part of the funds. The British pound is still very valuable and can be used as currency in other European countries.

Selling a large amount of weapons and equipment to the Ottoman Empire in exchange for pounds, and then using the pounds to purchase industrial equipment and other technical materials from other European countries to develop Spain's own industry, is simply a perfect plan.

The arms trade with Russia mainly consists of orders for rifles and bullets. After all, Russia has an advantage in artillery, and the domestic production of artillery in Russia is enough for the consumption in this war.

But the Ottoman Empire is different. The Ottoman Empire is in a huge disadvantage in terms of artillery, and what they want most is a large amount of artillery to make up for the gap.

The Ottoman Empire is not lacking in rifles; after all, the British support is quite strong, and with Ottoman soldiers holding British-made rifles, they naturally would not have much interest in Spanish-made rifles.

After several days of consultation, the military factory signed another order with the Ottoman side.

This order only included 20, 00 rifles and 10 million bullets, but they ordered over 580 artillery pieces, as well as 150, 00 matching artillery shells.

The Ottoman Empire also specifically requested that the orders for rifles and ammunition could be delivered a little later, but the artillery orders should ideally be delivered in full within three months.

For the Royal Military Factory, which had long been prepared, delivering over 580 artillery pieces within three months was not a problem at all.

Thus, the Royal Military Factory and the Ottoman Empire happily signed the order, agreeing to complete the delivery within three months, while the Ottoman Empire would pay for this order with gold, British pounds, and mineral resources.

In addition to this arms order, the Ottoman Empire also signed a grain trade agreement with Spain.

During these few years of stability, Spain's grain production has also seen steady progress. Currently, Spain exports a large amount of grain every year, so signing a grain trade order with the Ottoman Empire is not a major event for Spain.

The signing of two consecutive orders brought the Royal Military Factory into a brief period of busyness. Currently, the Royal Military Factory's inventory is enough to complete most of the deliveries for the two orders, and the small amount of remaining weapons and equipment can also be ensured to be delivered within the stipulated time through expedited production.

As for the profits generated from the two arms trades, the Royal Military Factory uses them for the upgrading and modification of weapons and equipment.

Although the rifles and artillery currently equipped by Spain are relatively excellent products, with the development of military technology, these rifles and artillery will eventually have a day when they become obsolete.

Only by constantly improving them and developing new products generation after generation can Spain ensure that its military technology remains at the forefront of Europe.

Although a large amount of capital must be spent for this, compared to the improvements brought to Spain by the constant updating and iteration of military technology, this small expenditure of funds is absolutely worth it.

5200-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!

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(End of this chapter)